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Turning Eighteen. / Mayoría de Edad.

Turning eighteen. What does that small phrase conjure in your mind? Maybe it means, ” I am finally an adult.” Maybe it means, “Freedom.” Maybe it means something totally different. For the children whose home has been La Casa de mi Padre, it means a court date. A hearing that officially releases them from child protective care. It usually is a bit scary to think about. There is a past; there is a why. What next?

At La Casa, we really do consider the children we serve to be family.

Most have spent significant time in either our girl’s home or boy’s home.

We know them; they know us. Deeply.

Several years ago, as the children we serve began to reach the age of 18, we knew that we needed options. Stepping fully into independence at the age of eighteen didn’t make sense for several reasons. Because most of our children started school late, they were still in the process of finishing their high school years. In Salvadoran culture, if a young adult goes to university or trade school, they live at home or with relatives, not dorm rooms. We want each young adult to be able to have the opportunity to reach their full potential. What would this be like? What sort of support would they need?

Most who have been here have heard Gary speak about the provision of what we call the transition home. A gentleman gave us that home, he simply handed over the keys to a large home. Teams helped to paint and furnish it. It is now a beautiful home where our young adults can decide to live as they pursue the dreams in their heart.

This past week, two of our young men moved into the transition home. They have been preparing for this move by visiting on weekends for quite some time with the guidance of Julio, our young men’s transition home resident director. Options for next steps have been discussed, but both young men made the decision to make “The Bridge” their next step in life.

We welcome Oscar and Jansen into the Bridge! Please pray for both of them as they make this transition. Pray that they make wise choices that will lead them down paths towards God and the plans He has for each of their lives.